Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of African Eggplant Seed Germination in Relation to Seed Maturation

Abstract

The final germination expressed as a percentage alone is unsatisfactory for reporting results related to the germination capacity of a seed lot. Information on other quantitative variables are thus important to judge the agronomic value of a seed lot. To evaluate the seed germination characteristics of the African eggplant, seeds were extracted from fruits harvested at different maturity stages produced under both tropical and temperate oceanic climates. The seed germination behaviour was assessed by germinability, germination rate, homogeneity and synchrony of the seed lots. The data for each environment was analyzed separately in a two-way ANOVA constituting harvesting maturity stages and cultivars as factors. The results showed that seed germinability increased with maturation and maximum when fruits were harvested 76 DAA under both climates. Seeds harvested precociously failed to germinate regardless of the production environment. All seed quantitative variables measured were positively related to the final seed germinability. The seed germination rates measurements significantly increased with seed maturity, indicating seed vigour and final germinability improves with maturation. Coefficient of variation of germination time (CVt) was a good measure of uniformity in seed germination. The results further showed a strong and positive correlation with seed germination parameters such as GI, GV, MDG, CVG and U to final germination. It is recommended that for maximum seed quality, fruits should be harvested at 76 DAA. It is further suggested that seed germination results should be enriched by measuring other quantitative parameters as it communicates different aspects of the germination process.